Oklahoma Lottery to add Hot Lotto, TV show

The Oklahoma Lottery plans to start a television game show and offer an additional multi-state game in hopes of improving lower-than-expected revenues.

The new television game show would be filmed in Oklahoma City and begin airing in October. Next year, Oklahoma would join ten other states in offering the Hot Lotto game, which features a minimum jackpot of $1 million.

Lottery Commission Executive Director Jim Scroggins says he hopes the additions will help generate excitement for the lottery, which is expected to fall far short of its revenue projections this year.

Scroggins says lottery revenues have been hampered by competition from tribal casinos and horse racing tracks, the need for additional gaming options and illegal gambling.

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There is no doubt the tribal casinos have grown considerably during the last two or three years. While there are still a lot of smaller casinos, several tribes have opened some large ones with live entertainment, liquor, hotel, etc. The lottery has to remain competitive, and the addition of a televised game show and the Hot Lotto are welcome steps.

One thing that has hurt the Oklahoma Lottery in recent months is the lack of televised drawings in the eastern part of the state, the Tulsa region. Tulsa's WB station used to broadcast the Pick 3, Cash 5 and Powerball drawings, but since the WB and UPN folded the lottery drawings have not been seen in the Tulsa area. The drawings are still aired in Oklahoma City.